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New introduction to the PBS launched today

A new publication which explains the scheme for subsidising medicines for Australian patients has today been launched at Parliament House in Canberra by the Medicines Partnership of Australia.

An Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme provides a simple explanation of how the PBS works in Australia. The paper includes the history of the PBS, what it does, the key participants in the manufacturing and supply process, and key issues for the Scheme going forwards.

In launching the report, the Chair of the Medicines Partnership of Australia, Ralf Dahmen, explained that it was designed to help people understand how the PBS works.

“We wrote this guide because while the PBS is often debated in the community, a lot of this debate is often technical, sometimes ill-informed, and difficult to follow for those who don’t understand how the Scheme works,” Mr Dahmen said.

“Many of us here today personally owe our health and productivity to medicines subsidised through the PBS, and all of us have relatives, friends and constituents who rely on the Scheme to obtain the medicines they need.

“So this Introduction is designed to help people get their heads around what the PBS does, and how it operates in practice.”

The Medicines Partnership of Australia (MPA) is an alliance of peak industry associations representing key members in the supply chain that deliver medicines and pharmacy expertise to Australian consumers. Its members include Medicines Australia, the Australian Self Medication Industry, the National Pharmaceutical Services Association, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Generic Medicines Industry Association.

The publication, An Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, can be found on the MPA website.